Climbing Mountain

During a recent conversation, I shared with my client that it appears that she has been circling the mountain for a while, for fear of the perceived danger along the way, and I asked her how she intends to proceed. After some pause, she responded “I’ll take a helicopter to the top”. We burst out laughing.Her response jolted my own frame. On reflection, I realised I’m typically represented by the top image - whenever some work opportunities came along, my first thought would be how much hard work and time I need to put in, what sacrifices I need to make, the result of which is me focusing on the “rocky path” I need to walk on.Thinking back, I recalled what my mother commented a long time back “Hakka women are hard workers, they have big palms, and work hard in the field”. I’m Hakka (a dialect group, others are Teochew, Hokkien, etc), and perhaps that stereotype had framed me for a long time. The helicopter metaphor gave me a new perspective - how I can enjoy the bird’s eye view of the mountain and the scenery around it instead of the hardness of each rock, how do I focus on the peak and find or create the chance to take the helicopter ride. That’s the fun in coaching - this co-creation, co-inspiring process. Which image represents you?